Queen In-hyun’s Man: Episode 8

This show brings a whole new level to the concept of distance dating, while some excellent swoon-worthy moments serve as padding for the inevitable drama to come. We get a bit more introspective as our characters navigate love over a three-hundred year divide, with one word or glance speaking volumes more than exposition ever could. I love that the sense of falling in love is so palpable here, helped along by sparkling chemistry, music that conveys a sense of longing, and a general, all-around synergy. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

EPISODE 8 RECAP

The privacy screen moment between our two lovebirds ends, leaving Dong-min huffing and puffing enough to blow the house down. He returns to the filming set in the same foul mood, with Na-jung there to jokingly refer to him as “Your Highness,” and to ask how the lunch resolution went.

Dong-min all but orders her to have a drink with him after the shoot, but changes his tune when the director comes. After assuring him that the lunch went well he offers up a story suggestion… how about poisoning Queen In-hyun to death?

But the director points out that a king who wants to kill his ex-wife just because he’s sick and tired of her, as Dong-min said, makes him a psycho. Dong-min comes back with this long tirade about how King Sukjong was a psycho anyway with all his waffling about on wives. Ha.

Hee-jin is next to arrive on set and gets the news of some script changes due to the actor playing Lady Jang’s brother being in the hospital. There are some other changes that furrow her brow (uh oh), and she goes straight to the director… who has no idea what she’s talking about.

She recounts what she’d previously memorized about the gapsul hwanguk event, where King Sukjong purged the Soron faction for conspiring against Queen In-hyun and reinstated her to the throne (with Lady Jang being demoted as a result). The script reflects a slightly different version of the events, even though the end result is the same. The only problem is, the director and staff seem completely unaware that there was ever another version of the event. Only Hee-jin remembers.

Luckily, she’s quick on the uptake and remembers that Boong-do had mentioned a score to settle with Minister Min, and correctly guesses that he might have altered history.

So she turns to the internet to read the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, and is shocked at how different the events are. What she reads is what we saw in the previous episode, with Boong-do manipulating events so that Minister Min was caught red-handed in his attempt to kill the queen. The end result is the same, with Minister Min and his cohorts being exiled, but there’s a tiny addition where Kim Boong-do was cleared of charges and reinstated.

Soo-kyung is still at the cafe with Boong-do, and finally picks up her phone after multiple attempts by Hee-jin. She’s forced to hand it over to Boong-do, who claims he hasn’t left yet because he needs Soo-kyung – as to the ‘why,’ it’s a secret.

She’s eager to tell him about the changed events in her script, to which he calmly replies that he had to save his own life and tried to change the fate of others as little as possible. Now that it’s all settled (Queen In-hyun is back on the throne), he feels relieved. He quotes another proverb (“The planning lies with man, the outcome with heaven”) which has her scratching her head. He’s quick to try and put it in simpler terms, but she thinks he’s making fun of her intellect.

He defends himself – he wasn’t making fun of her, he was reproaching himself. As for the history matter that only the two of them know, he seems much less concerned than she is.

Now we find out what Boong-do needed Soo-kyung for – he wants to know what Hee-jin needs most, because he wants to give it to her. Soo-kyung: “You want to give her a present?” Aww.

She’s sure that whatever it is, Boong-do can’t afford it due to Hee-jin’s expensive tastes. She wants to know what his budget is, though he’s insistent that it doesn’t matter… and pulls out a few one-million won checks. Soo-kyung is floored, until he pulls out another, even bigger stack of bills. (Where did he get all this cash money from? Did he time-warp into a bank vault?)

With wide eyes, she wonders what kind of man walks around with that kind of cash sans a wallet. Smart cookie Boong-do doesn’t know what that is until he sees someone using one nearby, and tells her that he didn’t have the time. I love that he knows what to say to appease Soo-kyung, and when.

And the icing on the cake? He remembers how touched Hee-jin was at his heroic timing, and wants to do something corny and romantic like that for her to go with the gift. He asks Soo-kyung for advice, and my heart just flutters.

Back in Joseon, Minister Min is being carted off to exile. His main henchman Ja-soo edges near the cart and receives the order to investigate Boong-do, a man who entered a room and disappeared like smoke. If Minister Min is to die, he wants Boong-do to go with him.

Hee-jin is stuck filming into the night, and a frenzied Soo-kyung arrives on scene during one of the breaks… and begins to frantically wave her arms about in an attempt to mime her conversation with Boong-do along with her complete disbelief. Even better – Hee-jin starts signing back, so both girls are just flailing about. Hahaha.

When they can finally speak, Soo-kyung is properly frazzled. She doesn’t have words to explain her day with Boong-do so she mimed it – how can an actor not understand? (Ha!) She’s conflicted about Boong-do’s seemingly perfect perfection, and doesn’t know whether to encourage Hee-jin into this relationship or not. In the end her shoulders slump, and it’s with an air of defeat (like there’s no way she can’t like Boong-do) that she tells Hee-jin to go find her boyfriend, who’s waiting for her.

Hee-jin heads out, with Boong-do in a car a few feet away. He eyes the key studiously, before repeating the steps he’s memorized to start and drive the car. Haha. Scholar versus Car, welcome to the thunderdome.

He heads straight for Hee-jin, and remembers how to stop just in time before poking his head out of the window so she can recognize him. (I love that he has the steps memorized in numeric order. How much do you want to bet that he practiced the heck out of this grand gesture?)

She’s completely shocked – what is he doing driving a car? We’ve gone through nine steps in the Boong-do School of Driving, and the tenth step is to hand over the key to Hee-jin. Aww. Did he get her a car?

Closing her fingers around the key, he tells her to accept it as payment for her kindness to him. Gesturing to the car, he asks if this is what she wanted more than anything (she had to sell her previous car for rent money). Proudly, he tells her that learning to drive was much easier than riding a horse. Ha.

Hee-jin is speechless at first. Why does he do these things straight out of a manhwa? “Your friend said that if I did something this corny, you would love it,” he explains. Double aww. Add a side of swoon to that too, super sized.

At first she’s ecstatic, but then a thought occurs to her: did he steal it? He replies that he’s not a thief, but she points out that he has to steal clothes all the time. Ha. He reminds her that the clothes thing is different, and that he wanted to give her something more – but the car took all the money he had. He brandishes the one bill he has left over.

He explains how he got the money… by selling his father’s relic. Awww. It once belonged to King Taejo, the first king of the Joseon Dynasty, which is a pretty big deal. Even he knows it, because he thinks that he might have gotten scammed on the amount he was given for it. Boong-do: “Whether it’s now or then, the merchants have their tricks.” Ha.

She’s definitely moved by the gesture, though he notes her hesitancy and claims it’s not in keeping with her character, which he describes as “Someone shameless, but charming.” Oh boy. Boong-do is lucky Hee-jin is so positive, because he’s got a bit of a ways to go in the compliments department.

She asks if he’s insulting her, even though she knows he isn’t, and he replies that it’s a positive thing: “I sincerely think that you are charming.” Hee-jin puffs up at the compliment, even more so when he explains that if his father were still alive, he’d repay her kindness as well. Besides, it’s not like he can take the car back to Joseon.

When she finally accepts the gift, he laughs outright. She is shameless, but he’s right – she’s super charming while she’s at it. She decides to show him what real driving is and takes the car for a happy spin around the parking lot, laughing all the while as she circles around the standing Boong-do. Be still, my heart.

Things take a more serious turn as she begins to see Boong-do in a different light, and we can practically see her falling in love. Who can blame her?

So it’s with desperation and a hint of sorrow that she tries to name him as a con artist and a swindler – because any of those options would be better than him being from another era. She admits how hard it is to find someone you like, even if you don’t understand why. She asks again if everything was a lie, wanting so much for it to be true.

Boong-do seems to know this, and responds that yes, everything was a lie. She knows as well as he does that it isn’t, and calls him a liar. Aww, sad.

Ushering him into the car, she explains that he may think it’s just for transportation, but there’s another purpose… and kisses him.

Afterward she’s back to her bubbly self, though Boong-do’s face looks troubled and serious. Just as she’s about to leave the car he grabs her close, and after a slightly hesitant test kiss on his end, the two share a gentler, longer kiss.

They’re interrupted by a crew member whose job specialty is bad timing, and Boong-do muses that maybe selling that relic wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Hahaha. Hee-jin knows she has to leave, though no part of her wants to go.

She wants to know what he’ll do from here, and he explains that he’ll return to Jeju so that he can be found (still in exile) and reinstated to his position in Hanyang. She worries that he’ll have to return to daily life and get married while he’s there, even though he assures her that he’ll come back in about a month, once things are settled in his time. “Do you have any reason to come here anymore?” Hee-jin asks.

Boong-do: “My lover is here. Isn’t that a reason? Didn’t I say that I would try my best to be your lover?” Hee-jin’s jaw pops open. Wasn’t that just for today? He reminds her of the conversation they had on the plane, where she asked how things would end if they became lovers.

He tells her that several days of thought haven’t sorted out an answer, but until he knows, he’ll keep looking for her. Only if she agrees, and as long as he doesn’t misunderstand with whom he’s to do her special brand of goodbye kissing with. D’aww.

Hee-jin’s got a hope in her head and a song in her heart the next morning, greeting a drowsy Soo-kyung from her spot on cloud nine. Her manager can’t figure Boong-do out and asks for the truth – and hilariously, Hee-jin tells her the whole truth. You know, that he’s from the past. She knows Soo-kyung won’t believe it, and it’s enough to get her off the subject for now.

A kind old man sweeping the streets spots Hee-jin and laments that she hasn’t moved out of her crummy neighborhood even with such a nice car. While driving she touches her lips, remembering the kiss, and we flash back to see the end of her conversation with Boong-do. She wanted to go on a real date when they meet again in a month and spend the whole day together, only he didn’t know what a “date” was. She told him she’d explain when they see each other again.

And Boong-do, in modern-day Jeju, travels to his time-skip spot and finds his Joseon clothes hidden where he left them. I guess he did wear a topknot toupee when he was the Dark Avenger, because now he’s walking around with a modern haircut in Joseon clothes, and it’s just funny.

He uses the talisman to jump back while he’s sitting on a bench, which lands him flat on his bum in Joseon. Ha. Multiple arrows fly at him the second he gets up. Poor guy can’t catch a break.

An assassin charges him from the trees with a sword, while Boong-do remains unarmed. He hasn’t had a chance to tuck his talisman into his clothes, which results in it getting sliced in half before his eyes. Oh no!!

Something strange happens as a result, and Boong-do grips his head as the world around him grows fuzzy. The assassin uses this opportunity to attack and slices Boong-do on the chest, causing our scholar to fall to the ground, unconscious.

Memories of his fight in the library – when the talisman first saved his life – come and go. He wakes up in a bed to see his loyal servant Han-dong keeping vigil, though he doesn’t stay conscious long.

The Jeju officials are just happy to have him back, though he’s been unconscious for ten days. He expresses confusion at his surroundings, though the minister tells him that he’s in his private residence – he’s been reinstated, after all, and is no longer an exile.

But Boong-do’s confusion goes deeper than just the four walls around him. He seems surprised to even be in Jeju at all. “Why am I in Jeju, and why the reinstatement order?” he asks, eyes wide. Oh crap. This seems like some mystical mumbo jumbo caused by the torn talisman.

Boong-do doesn’t remember anything about his exile, and I wonder if his amnesia extends back to the library fight (judging from the flashback). So when Han-dong arrives to express happiness that his lord is in one piece, Boong-do only responds with more confusion. How did he get here?

Han-dong explains that the evil Minister Min sent an assassin to kill him, which sends us to a scene with Ja-soo receiving word of the failed assassination attempt. Boong-do was saved from death this time not by the talisman, but by guards that happened to be nearby.

He’s too excited to notice anything amiss about Boong-do, and exclaims that Minister Min will be coming to Jeju for exile soon, too. Our scholar looks like he’s checking his reactions very carefully, but this is all coming as news to him. (Also, where did he get that topknot?)

Back with Ja-soo, the assassin minion hands over the only thing he found at the scene – the two halves of Boong-do’s talisman. I love that Ja-soo is like, he carries a talisman with him? Which sounds akin to, He still plays with toys?

Boong-do asks Han-dong what day it is, and is shocked that it’s April 30th. The last day he remembers is the first of March. The last two months are a complete blank in his memory.

As he explains to his servant that his last memory was being stabbed in the library (in his first confrontation with Ja-soo), the same assassin who stabbed him puts the two pieces of the talisman together and begins to read the characters aloud.

COMMENTS

An interesting turn, and that’s something I never thought I’d say about the amnesia plot device. Here’s the thing – the world has been so well established to where the mystical time-traveling bits seem like part and parcel to daily life, so in that sense, we believe in the power of the talisman just like Boong-do. When it was slashed in half I knew there’d be some sort of repercussion, because that’s just how the world has been set up. Because of that, I don’t believe that Boong-do’s amnesia was something randomly chosen from the grab bag of drama cliches inasmuch as it’s being used to hammer home the point that mystical circumstances beget mystical problems. It’s actually (gasp) being used believably.

Now that Boong-do has been playing with history, the choice to make Hee-jin’s career revolve around the historical events he’s living through – albeit in a TV drama – makes a lot of sense. It keeps Hee-jin intimately in tune with history enough to know when things change, and without a reason for her to care about historical events (so, if she worked any other kind of job sans historian), she’d be more out of the loop, and so would we. Her job isn’t just window dressing for her love story or something for her to do during scenes where she’s not with Boong-do; it’s been clearly thought out and serves a purpose. Love.

Time travel gets existential and funky when you start to think about the ramifications of what is and isn’t kosher to do in the past, though I like that Boong-do knows that he should meddle as little as possible. Still, it’s a pretty big deal that he changed the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty overnight, and that no one in the world remembers how history used to be, except for Hee-jin. I wonder what qualifies her to get a free memory pass – if it’s just a matter of knowing Boong-do, then Soo-kyung would remember the past events too, wouldn’t she? I’m guessing it comes down to who knows whether he’s a time traveler or not, and as of right now, Hee-jin is the only one to fill that quota.

With this new development things could take a more dramatic turn, though I’ve been loving the easy balance of comedy and drama so far. None of it ever feels forced, so when Boong-do was reciting the Ten Steps To Impress Your Girlfriend, I was laughing and swooning all at once. I like that they’re both frank in their own way about their future – they may not know all the answers, but they know that they want to face the questions together. Now with a broken talisman, the future becomes even more uncertain. To be separated from your lover by three-hundred years, and for him not to remember that you exist? That’s quite the pickle.

May 22, 2012 at 8:10 PM

May 22, 2012 at 8:16 PM

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Ricky, don't be too jealous... They were just acting. She probably didn't enjoy the kiss :-) (Oh man, who am I kidding?). Sorry Ricky, I was trying to make you feel better, I am not sure it worked though... Did it? :-)

May 23, 2012 at 7:32 AM

May 22, 2012 at 9:49 PM

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Confirmation huh? xDD

Mine was episode 1. The scene when they meet up after Boong Do jumped over the fence. Seeing that and how they looked at each other after that totally confirm my love for the drama. I was like WOW at the beautiful scene. ^^

May 22, 2012 at 10:13 PM

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I STARTED FALLING IN LOVE DURING THE FIRST PART OF EPISODE 1 WHEN THEY WERE "TRAVELING" TOWARDS EACH OTHER AND CONFIRMED MY LOVE WHEN THEY FINALLY REUNITED AND THEIR LOOK AT EACH OTHER AND JKASDBGLKSDBGKJD~<33333
^Caps are inevitable. Coherence is difficult. Effects of Queen In Hyun's Man's perfection (both drama and the person), which is the cause. sdjkglsdkjbglksdjbgklsdjbg

May 22, 2012 at 8:26 PM

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Yes, let's... She is very entertaining :-) I know the drama is mostly about Boong-do and Hee-jin (meaning we talk about them a lot), but I love Soo-kyung. She is so funny and the actress who plays her acts really well. She means well though, so it makes it hard to be mad at her.

May 22, 2012 at 8:41 PM

May 22, 2012 at 8:42 PM

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We know she always has Hee Jin's best interest in mind. And that always comes first to her which I love about her. Whatever she does it's because she knows Hee Jin all too well. Possibly more than Hee Jin knows herself. She's like a mother, friend, manager and sister all rolled into one.

During the scene when they were signing stuff to each other about BD buying the car - I JUST DIED. Those two girls were adorable! They have as much chemistry as Hee Jin has with BD (or er, In na has with Hyun Woo)

Can you just imagine how zany her day was spending it with Boong Do and teaching him how to drive? Hahaha!

May 22, 2012 at 9:11 PM

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I think a lot of us watched this raw, too.
So all the flailing around between them needed no translation.
I LOL'ed and rewound and LOL'ed again trying to figure out what the heck they were saying to each other!

May 22, 2012 at 9:52 PM

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Can you believe that she plays Park Shi Hoo's sister in-law in The Princess's Man? I did not realise it at first and wondering why she looks fimiliar until someone in Soompi mentioned it and i was like Owh.. No wonder, she looks fimiliar to me...

May 22, 2012 at 10:50 PM

May 22, 2012 at 11:12 PM

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Wow, I totally did not recognise her but now that you mentioned it ... it's her! Further proof that she is an excellent actress as the two roles are complete opposites yet she is believable and memorable in both dramas.

May 22, 2012 at 9:55 PM

May 23, 2012 at 5:48 AM

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Yes, she's so fantastic! I've only seen her in Can't Lose and she was fine, but with a pretty small role. It's amazing what she can convey with her tone and voice, even when I can't fully understand everything she's saying, I get the gist of it.

May 23, 2012 at 2:46 PM

May 22, 2012 at 8:30 PM

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I love this so much!! It's pure torture and agony waiting for new episodes now. I marathoned all ten episodes in one day!! Wish I could time traveled to when they already finished filming so I wouldn't have to keep waiting ;)

May 22, 2012 at 11:15 PM

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At first I had the same reaction ... Noooooo, not the blinking amnesia schtick again! But I should have known better that the scriptwriters would not fall into such cliche. Instead, they have crafted a wonderfully intelligent plot device out of the ole chestnut and made it into something cool. It's not just amnesia ... it's a time space continuum!

And we don't even need Scottie to beam us up, just a Pavlov dog talisman! Gawds, I love this drama!

May 23, 2012 at 2:32 AM

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Nope, this one is not the conventional amnesia that Kdramas' writers loved to used when they stucked in a dead-end plot! Not like "I don't know what to do to make the OTP separate/come back/[add any reason here], so BAAAM, let the hero/heroine runs head in into traffic and be in amnesia"... And the audience...yawn!

This amnesia is meaningful and integral in the story. It not only drives the plot forward, induces heart-ache to audience, but also gives more intrinsic questions on how much/how far the talisman will work in favour of our BD, how much/how far "fate" can be altered, what are controllable/manipulable and what are not?

May 23, 2012 at 7:44 AM

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i'm mixed on the amnesia use... in this case, I don't blame the writers for using it since, well, the couple is essentially already together by the end of 8 episodes. (remember it's set for 16...if they're already together by 8, what's the use of the 16 run? remaining 8 episodes as filler? nah) I kinda say that they HAD to use it (to create something...I mean, what are they going to do? put hee-jin into the past? or is the audience going to have to watch boong do go legal? ^_^)

I groaned when i hear amnesia, but in this show, it's not too bad. (after all, he only got amnesia, not he went dumb and had a personality change)

May 22, 2012 at 8:32 PM

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Thanks for the recap!

I agree about the amnesia bit-- I'm glad it's not used randomly, it does serve part of the fantasy element. At the same time, I kind of don't want the amnesia because I just LOVE the cute scenes between these two!

May 22, 2012 at 8:33 PM

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I want to further understand the rules surrounding the Talisman...and its limitations. I think there is something more to it than what we already know and it's gonna inflict some major conflict that will make all of us weep for BD and HJ. What do we know about the Talisman so far?

May 22, 2012 at 8:34 PM

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dang, this is really slow of an updates. There are already 10 episodes and you guys are only on 8. I do like that you guys are giving us a summary, but if possible, I would greatly appreciate it if you guys updates as fast as Rooftop Prince and the other dramas

May 23, 2012 at 8:01 AM

May 23, 2012 at 9:40 AM

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Oh, I like that idea - I can definitely think of some hours I would like back, hours spent hoping a drama would somehow get better (never happens...). For starters, I want back all 20 hours I wasted on The-Drama-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named, even if it did have JHW in it.

May 22, 2012 at 8:40 PM

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Dramabeans team have done their best to post the recaps. There are too many drama, not only QIHM. Please respect them for not doing quick update for this one. They do quick update for other drama such as Rooftop Prince, Equator Man and The King 2 Hearts.
For me it doesn't matter when the recap comes, eventhough I've watched it, I'll still read the recap over again. :)

May 22, 2012 at 9:31 PM

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Ditto! Me too. Even though I have watch the episodes but reading Dramabeans recap is like seeing the little detail than I had missed. So yeah, it did not bother me if it comes out late. Cause I love the feeling seeing it being recap at the unexpected moment. Just like this one! xDD

May 23, 2012 at 12:15 AM

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Right! when I sow the recap of this drama I was "YES! I KNEW IT SHE / THEY WILL LOVE IT!"

There are some other drama / series that are recapped late (like TEN) but I simply enjoy reading the posts and comments, changing opinions, like in high school. It feels good to read and rave/rant and not just watching the shows, I feel more active, I use my brain and I "meet" people with same / different opinions.

May 22, 2012 at 8:52 PM

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Javabeans said right at the beginning that this show would only be recap 1 episode per week. We are lucky that HeadsNo2 is helping with the recaps so that we get 2 per week. So stop complaining about slow updates and just say thankyou.

May 22, 2012 at 9:03 PM

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Hey, if it wasn't for dramabeans, I wouldn't even know enough about this drama to give it a chance. So thank you DB!

I'd much rather they recap a little late than not at all! They don't always recap even the shows they love to death, like The Princess's Man. Their recaps are always worth reading, even after watching the episode.

There are two other (small) fansites, Scattered Jooni and DramaTalk, who are doing recaps faster, so I have been refreshing their sites as well as Dramabeans. I'm so obsessed with this show that I am reading three recaps of episodes I have already watched. Crazy!!!

May 23, 2012 at 12:31 AM

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Same here. This drama has made me go CRAZY. I have completed watching all 10 episodes but still cant help reading the recaps from scattered Joonni and drama talk. BUT my most awaited recap is always of DB. So when ever DB posts a recap of QIHM it simply makes my day :))

May 23, 2012 at 5:58 AM

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DITTO! I wasn't planning on watching it until I started reading the recaps here while waiting for RTP and K2H episodes... *shudder* I can't believe I might have missed out on this fantastic experience without them so stop complaining. If you want faster recaps, there are places you can go as someone mentioned already. But it's so nice to read multiple versions and takes and JB and NO do such a fantastic job of making really great points that we might have missed.

May 22, 2012 at 9:12 PM

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Wow...-b- ...I'm really hoping the rudeness of your comment is based on limited English skills.

Considering that this website is FREE and not a single one of the writers are obligated to do *anything* for any one of us 'free-loaders'...I suggest you offer a word of THANKS first....then gently make your request like the stranger that you are.

May 22, 2012 at 9:26 PM

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Owh... stop it.. Its better than nothing at all. The girls are already being awesome for picking this up and I for one do not mind the late update.

Let just be thankful for this cause seriously if not because of Javabean first episode recap, I think lots of us not even bother to pick up this drama. I mean, the reason I even bother to watch it in the first place is because of Javabean awesome first episode's recap of the first scene where they met again. That scene was beautiful and when I read it here, I know i have to watch it and I did.

May 22, 2012 at 9:28 PM

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Considering that both jb and H#2 are solo-recapping another Weds.-Thurs. drama, and that they are not machines (though I sometimes suspect they might be cyborgs or something because they seem to have superhuman abilities), it's actually ridiculous to expect them to be able to get the recaps out that quickly. Unless of course you provide them with a way to travel to the future, write the recap, then come back and post it right after the drama airs. (But then you'd probably be griping about the lack of precaps.)

I like that the recaps are spaced out during the week even though most of them are for Weds.-Thurs. dramas, and since the subs for this show usually take 3-4 days, I'm actually glad that the recaps have been a bit behind so far.

May 22, 2012 at 11:20 PM

May 23, 2012 at 1:30 AM

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The comments to this thread should be an official notice to people. We may disagree about dramas on this site. We may fight about who really has prior claims to any one of our favorite stars. But don't mess with the dramabeaners!!! Usually, people in these comments are very welcoming, but when the drambeaners are attacked, we circle the wagons. You've been warned.

May 23, 2012 at 2:39 AM

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LOL! So true. One for all and all for one!
Random readers just don't understand how many hours of work are needed for 1 exhaustive recap. Hours of sleep and eating are sacrificed: You really have to be fueled by passion for the show. And the only reward is the *THANK YOU* left in the comments section.
So, thank you JB and Heads#2.

May 23, 2012 at 9:49 AM

If this were a Western, the saloon would go silent at this point, and you would hear the swish and click of several guns being drawn and cocked. A voice would ring out, "What'd you say there, mister? You got a problem with this here town?" Cue indignant muttering in the background. Newcomer makes a hasty retreat, the saloon doors swing shut. The guns are re-holstered, the piano begins playing again, and everyone turns back to their drinks, order restored.

May 22, 2012 at 8:36 PM

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Thank you for the recap. It was an incredible scene where Hee-jin drove around Boong-do; watching her face as the realization of their situation comes down like an oppressive weight. And I loved how they used the car for its non-transportation use.

May 22, 2012 at 9:15 PM

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OMG I loved how she showed a range of emotions driving around him.
HE remained unchanged as her mood sobers, but her perception of him and them and their future flashes before her making us ALL suddenly sad.
The music was great, too.

May 23, 2012 at 9:53 AM

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Yes, my favorite scene was not so much the kiss, but when Hee Jin circles around BD in the car. At first she is giddy, and then you can see in her face as the ramifications of what she is doing and feeling fall into place, and suddenly she is no longer in the moment, but looking ahead and realizing the path they have set themselves on...and the music reflects this change perfectly.

May 22, 2012 at 9:43 PM

May 22, 2012 at 9:42 PM

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@ Melonhead: I am with you on the kiss. I personally don't mind the sliiiiight brushes most k-dramas have, but I did like (a lot) that this was not a face eating kiss, (please don't shoot me, it is just my opinion and I believe I am entitled to it).
I just felt that this kiss (both of them) fitted Boong-do's character and the way he has been presented to us, as well as the way he cares about her. He is a courteous and gentle guy, around her and with her. I LOVE that we could see and feel the tension between them, the hesitation, the anticipation and that we could feel and see the second kiss coming, and the whole scene looked and felt natural, not acted, not forced. And it WAS a kiss, a different one, "a gentler, longer kiss," as HeadsNo2 aptly put it, and it came to an end naturally as well. I personally felt that the kiss fitted both of the characters.
Ok, I will stop raving about the kiss now, nicely written, nicely done. It was nice to see something different that still showed the attraction (and the growing love) they both have for each other.
P.S.: Again Ricky, I really don't mean to evoke traumatic images for you (too late for that I guess, the scenes are there for us to see), please don't strangle or curse our Boong-do :-). I honestly hope you will survive all their lovey dovey scenes. Man, I am having so much fun teasing you :-), this is great!!!!

May 23, 2012 at 12:50 AM

May 23, 2012 at 1:12 AM

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Hi Daniela, how are you?

LOL!!! So Ricky (actually it's Ricky The Royal Highness aka Ricky TRH) is one of the very few guys who participates and comments on this blog. He is also a regular on Open Thread aka as OT on Fridays.
So I found out a few months ago that Ricky likes (maybe even love or lube, lube as Kim Sam Soon would say) Yoo Inna and that he had "MINED" her, meaning that he had let us know that she was his. Some of the commentators here have *MINED* their favorite(s) actor/singer/model etc..., so we have a sense of who likes who and to what extent :-)
I get a kick out of messing with Ricky because his *LOVE* is *in love* with someone else (in the drama) and is being lovey dovey with someone else. Ricky is currently finishing his last exams and papers, which explains why he hasn't responded to my posts yet. I think he will, eventually when he reads the recaps and the comments here (Hi Ricky *waves*).
I hope this long explanation helped. Also, "Now, I need to kiss somebody," Oh, oh, I opened a can of worms, didn't I? I hope you are OK :-)

May 23, 2012 at 2:50 PM

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@ ivoire: thanks for the enlightenment about Ricky. (Hi Ricky *waves*) - :D
It's almost 1 a.m., I've just finished the 11-th episode and NOW I really really need to go and kiss someone (actually, my husband :D, he is not BD but he does kiss like BD).

May 23, 2012 at 6:06 PM

May 24, 2012 at 1:53 PM

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Hi Daniela and Ricky,
LOL literally at Ricky's comment. You had me chuckling for a while. I am currently packing and getting ready for a weekend trip, so I can't stay long. I will be back later tonight or tomorrow to comment because I really want to, so please check back later :-)

May 22, 2012 at 8:47 PM

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Thanks for the recap! I inwardly cringe when the talisman was cut in half and then he lost his memory as a result! However I am not too worry that his memory loss would be drag on too long because this show is just too awesome for all that drama! <3

May 22, 2012 at 8:50 PM

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Be still my heart ♥
I love this drama and everything about it, which kinda surprises me. I really like HJ and BD and even DM lol

After watching ep 10, I don't even know what'll I'll do with myself after it finishes. I was honestly so surprised that I ended up loving this as much as I do after watching the first episode on a whim.

I did not expect a lot from it considering it sounded so similar to RP, but that could be the farthest thing from it now.

May 22, 2012 at 11:21 PM

May 22, 2012 at 9:03 PM

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I love this drama so much, I kind of regret not waiting until it was finished to get it started. I am suffering so much waiting for the episodes to be subbed and a recap in order to help me understand what is going on. There is so much compacted in 45 mins. It isn't until I read the recaps that I realized that as attentive as I think I am watching, there is still a lot I do not understand or I am missing. So, thanks so much for the recap. I actually kind of blame you and your enthusiasm for the drama for not being able to stay away :).

One thing I like and I think is important about the car scene, is the the way she was dressed. I think that might have helped him see her as more of a love interest. She is more beautiful to him in those clothes.

When KBG mentions about not being able to take the car back to Joseon, it makes me wonder how he got his horse to the current era. Also, about the assassin in ep.2, how did he get through?.

I wasn't even planning to watch this drama, but I think it has become one of my favorite Kdrama EVER. TVN Keep up the good work. You are making me happy this year.

May 22, 2012 at 9:32 PM

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@jomo,
Yes, very good point "the reversal of their realities is powerful imagery". They each become more relate-able to the other. He can probably imagine living with her in his era. She can imagine being with him in the current one. This drama is so awesome.

May 22, 2012 at 11:22 PM

May 23, 2012 at 2:58 AM

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It's also an awesome reversal of the opening scene, which we can only assume happens later.

There, she's in modern clothing and he's in Hanbok and yet neither cares.

It seems that the reversal of realities is a great way for them to fall for one another, but once it happens, it doesn't matter anymore. Just the presence of the other is sufficient. And that's beautiful.